The Board of Police Commissioners has approved the Saskatoon Police Service’s budget for next year, with a few changes from the projected budget approved last year during City Council’s two-year budget process. That was before the cost of living and gas prices skyrocketed. Police Chief Troy Cooper says there had to be some tweaks because of inflation.

The two main changes are increases to the gas budget for the police vehicles and the plane and for natural gas, and now that the Alternative Response Officers are moving from a pilot project to a permanent program, $350,000 needed to be added to fund the program. Cooper adds that there are increasing calls for service because Saskatoon has a growing population, more calls around social disorder and mental health, and rising cases drug possession and trafficking, which also leads to more thefts and violence. He cites that year-to-date, there have been 380 overdose calls in Saskatoon, and Fentanyl is expected in 206 of those cases. He adds that the Provincial Coroner has reported that the overdose death rate in Saskatchewan is the same as it is now in British Columbia.

The budget approved by the Board includes a 5.08 per cent increase compared to 2022. During last year’s budget process, it was forecast that the increase would by 4.38 per cent. The police budget will be deliberated next month by City Council as it reviews the 2023 and 2024 budgets.